It is known and customary to make available to golfers golf course guides in the form of handy brochures or booklets with information maps of the individual holes so that they can get their bearings regarding the quirks of the respective holes and especially the distances before and during play. The reproduction size of the individual information maps is determined by the respective dimensions of the hole, the available format being exploited as fully as possible.
The details charted in these maps include in the known golf course guide designs e.g. the hole lengths, measured at the various tees, distances to the start of bunkers and end of bunkers and other obstacles, as well as distances to the start and/or the middle and if need be also to the end of the green, and additionally also directions of inclines. The disadvantage of these golf course guides is that current ball positions and distances can generally only be determined from these maps to a very limited extent and only laboriously by adding or subtracting or by proportional estimations.
For a number of years hand-held computers and computer systems fitted onto motorised golf carts have been available on the market which determine the current ball or golf cart position by means of satellite navigation. The latter is displayed visually on digital hole maps, and the player is provided with further information such as e.g. distances to the start of the green or the middle of the green, to the obstacle etc. Moreover, with some systems it is possible for the player to save his results.
It is a disadvantage here that the operation of these computers is complex and relatively complicated, and so it can lead to delays in play which is particularly unpleasant and disruptive if a number of flight partners are involved and, moreover, if the flights follow on from one another at short intervals of time.
The computer systems fitted onto golf carts widely used particularly in the USA additionally have the disadvantage that the player moving over the hole can not can access to the information at all times and in all places, but only directly from the golf cart. After the end of play the information can not easily be taken away by the player. At best the results can be printed out in the clubhouse, and this is laborious.
A further disadvantage of these systems is that in many cases only the distance to the green is directly indicated. Tactical analyses, for example for dividing up the distance still to be negotiated into sections which can be played with specific clubs are not easily possible.